Marcellus Barnes in the portal

[SUskibum]

I’m looking at the results on the field and it sure seems like we’re seeing an “evening out”.

We have a 12 team playoff that includes Indiana, SMU and Arizona State. Seems like the portal has helped all of those schools break into the realm of the factories.

Plus, no one was dominant this season. Not UGA, not Bama, not Ohio State, etc. almost everyone lost to a non-factory at some point.

Look, I’ll change my POV if what I see on the field warrants it. I’m not dug in here. But as of now, I see a lot of evidence that the portal is creating more parity than we’ve seen in CFB in a long time.

exactly

UGA/Clemson/OSU/Bama lost a combined 10 games. 3 of them had the same coach they have had for the past 5 years. Those 3 teams average about 4-5 combined regular season losses combined the past several years. Obviously have been weakened

The other side has the following teams that were often .500 or worse over the past decade end the year with 2-3 losses (in the CFP or a whisker away)

IlIinois
SMU
Indiana
ASU
Colorado
Duke
Cuse
Miami (yes they were average and got ahead finally by a bunch of transers, starting with Cam)

that doesnt even include great years from teams like

Boise
UNLV
Memphis
etc

 

[anomander]

God I hope we hang onto Ross…

Ross would be the most important player to hang onto imo.

As for Barnes. Let’s not kid ourselves. This is a big loss. He definitely wasn’t physically ready to compete this year but he was easily the best cover corner we had. The kid started from day 1 as a true freshman. He struggled vs the run because of his size but he looked good in coverage and the upside was huge. I guarantee he ends up transferring to a top 20 program. Losing kids to the portal is going to happen but I don’t think brushing it off like it’s no big deal is accurate. As a true Freshman he was better than Lewis and Bellamy who were upperclassman transfers from Notre Dame.

 

[Sudano]

This is why, flawed as it is, the NIL system works. It protects the colleges and universities themselves.

Once payment goes directly from the higher education institution to the student-athlete, we're done for.

Totally disagree, players signing contracts with legally bound institutions cleans this whole thing up for both sides. Players unionize, colleges guarantee payments through contracts. NIL will be in control of the people judging the talent and responsible for it's payment, playing time, and degree requirements. Right now shady rich people are offering and not always delivering large money outside of whether coaches want or need of that player. Nothing could go wrong with that scenario.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Totally disagree, players signing contracts with legally bound institutions cleans this whole thing up for both sides. Players unionize, colleges guarantee payments through contracts. NIL will be in control of the people judging the talent and responsible for it's payment, playing time, and degree requirements. Right now shady rich people are offering and not always delivering large money outside of whether coaches want or need of that player. Nothing could go wrong with that scenario.

I'm more worried about what this means for higher education funding.

 

[Sudano]

I'm more worried about what this means for higher education funding.

My feeling is that NIL will just be raised and provide a fund for colleges to fund football, under the control of the athletic department but separate from the schools money. But you raise a good point, is the introduction of NIL fund raising above and beyond previous big donor university funding or is it reducing it. Interesting to know. One thing I do know is large institution financial accounting PR will always present it as them losing money and poor them. With the pooling and movement of large sums of money between accounts any narrative can be publicly presented no matter if it's true or not.

 

[tep624]

Ross would be the most important player to hang onto imo.

As for Barnes. Let’s not kid ourselves. This is a big loss. He definitely wasn’t physically ready to compete this year but he was easily the best cover corner we had. The kid started from day 1 as a true freshman. He struggled vs the run because of his size but he looked good in coverage and the upside was huge. I guarantee he ends up transferring to a top 20 program. Losing kids to the portal is going to happen but I don’t think brushing it off like it’s no big deal is accurate. As a true Freshman he was better than Lewis and Bellamy who were upperclassman Notre Dame transfers.

It's a loss, but the true measure of it is how we respond to the loss. Barnes wanted to play for Fran and there are going to be other high level CB's out there that want to as well.

Lewis was third team all conference, I don't think Barnes was making that even if he was healthy and played the whole season.

 

[Sudano]

Ross would be the most important player to hang onto imo.

As for Barnes. Let’s not kid ourselves. This is a big loss. He definitely wasn’t physically ready to compete this year but he was easily the best cover corner we had. The kid started from day 1 as a true freshman. He struggled vs the run because of his size but he looked good in coverage and the upside was huge. I guarantee he ends up transferring to a top 20 program. Losing kids to the portal is going to happen but I don’t think brushing it off like it’s no big deal is accurate. As a true Freshman he was better than Lewis and Bellamy who were upperclassman Notre Dame transfers.

This is an ongoing back and forth on this board. For me both can be true. Knowing good players are going to leave our program but I don't need to feel good about a talented player who would help us win leaving either.

 

[Sudano]

It's a loss, but the true measure of it is how we respond to the loss. Barnes wanted to play for Fran and there are going to be other high level CB's out there that want to as well.

Lewis was third team all conference, I don't think Barnes was making that even if he was healthy and played the whole season.

I think your ignoring the obvious. He would have easily done better than that over the next 3 years...

 

[SuFTW]

What you just listed is nothing new. Alabama had a coaching change and still almost made the playoff the first year post Saban. Clemson lost forehead slap games and had close calls when they were dominant, see our win in 2017. Michigan was meh for years before Harbaugh and meh this year with him gone. USC has been inconsistent since Pete Carroll left. Washinton is not and has never been a factory. They had a magical year and fell back after losing their coach. Oklahoma fell back as soon as Lincoln Riley left. Georgia almost lost to an in state rival with a winning record. That's not proof they've fallen off.

What I see with the teams you listed is more influence by coaching changes than the portal. And as some factories have dipped a little, other factories have stepped into their place, Texas and Oregon.

There is a lot more parity among the top teams. It’s really too early to see what the long term effect will be, but I think there is some effect.

 

[sufandu]

I’m looking at the results on the field and it sure seems like we’re seeing an “evening out”.

We have a 12 team playoff that includes Indiana, SMU and Arizona State. Seems like the portal has helped all of those schools break into the realm of the factories.

Plus, no one was dominant this season. Not UGA, not Bama, not Ohio State, etc. almost everyone lost to a non-factory at some point.

Look, I’ll change my POV if what I see on the field warrants it. I’m not dug in here. But as of now, I see a lot of evidence that the portal is creating more parity than we’ve seen in CFB in a long time.

Arizona St wouldn't be in if their weak conference didn't have a guaranteed spot. Let's see how sustainable Indiana is. Prior to the portal there was always a surprise team or two in the top 10 only to shuffle out and be replaced by a different Cinderella the next year. How much did Indiana benefit from their schedule? What happened when they played Ohio State? Did the gap appear smaller? SMU is the one positioned to really take advantage because of what I mentioned in another post, money. They're loaded. They now have the opportunity to be a legal pony express. They could've done that with NIL absent the portal, but the portal accelerates it for them.

I think we have the best coach we could have to deal with this but there's a reason the Yankees and Dodgers were in the world series and contend every year. The portal is fine. It's the money that distorts everything.

 

[sufandu]

There is a lot more parity among the top teams. It’s really too early to see what the long term effect will be, but I think there is some effect.

I agree there is parity among the top teams. Whoever identifies and lands the best portal guys will be the best year to year. The question is whether the teams below that tier can land enough and keep enough of their own to compete.

 

[grepal]

Sucks for us but he has a chance to literally make hundreds of thousands of dollars before he is 21.

 

[IthacaMatt]

This is a key season for that. We have had only two of his high school recruiting classes. And we have holes. And a monster schedule. Many on here are saying we won't be as active in the portal this year. I hope that isn't true. We don't have to being in 19 portal kids but of those, 12 played a key role this year. I think we need to at least match that this year.

He got 9 wins, including 3 vs ranked teams, crushed November, and we are playing in a warm weather bowl.

For me, he needed at least 8 wins with his gang of entirely new coaches to be able to keep the momentum going. That Miami win, on national TV with 300 recruits there, that could be a program changing moment. If we win 8 or 9 again next year, against that schedule, we are truly back.

 

[JonB]

Every one of these dude hit the portal every year. These dudes can get more money at the age of 18 to 22 and invest that money. None of them are gonna be working past 50

 

[TexanMark]

Every one of these dude hit the portal every year. These dudes can get more money at the age of 18 to 22 and invest that money. None of them are gonna be working past 50

Unfortunately most men from 18-22 do not think like that.

 

[orangeinohio]

Every one of these dude hit the portal every year. These dudes can get more money at the age of 18 to 22 and invest that money. None of them are gonna be working past 50

You believe that 20 year old kids, mostly from, at best, middle class families are going to use big NIL sacks of money as investment opportunities? They’re not going to buy toys or help out family members?

 

[GoSU96]

Every one of these dude hit the portal every year. These dudes can get more money at the age of 18 to 22 and invest that money. None of them are gonna be working past 50

A freshman cb without much on tape isn’t getting an early retirement out of this.

If they were this model really isn’t sustainable.

 

[NineOneSeven]

College sports now. (I totally get the homesick part though)

 

[Sdot]

Marcellus Barnes is down to SMU and Kentucky he said.

 

[SanDiegoCuse]

Marcellus Barnes is down to SMU and Kentucky he said.

Please Kentucky. Don’t want to play him this upcoming season.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[AZOrange]

Stunning

 

[SUfaninAZ]

Please Kentucky. Don’t want to play him this upcoming season.

Let’s play him and torch him

 

[Orangefan1]

Who cares I mean honestly if he doesn’t want to play for Fran then take a hike

 

[anomander]

so much for homesick?